Short Autumn 2017 news

In the flower garden, at the entrance to the Zoological Garden, we have planted a variety of bulbs, among them Mesopotamian iris, sea squill, sea daffodil, hyacinth squill, Tel-Aviv garlic, common gladiolus, and Persian cyclamen.

After the next rain we will sow more wild flower seeds. To ensure that the flower garden will remain green and beautiful, none of its plants are edible to the animals that roam freely in the Garden.

The white-eyed gulls have bred again this year, but following our bitter experience in recent years, with many of the chicks disappearing between the first and third day of their life, this year we put the young chicks in a protected netted area inside the parents' enclosure. During their time in the protected area the chicks were tended to by the animal keepers, but they could always see all the other members of the flock. As a result of their hand-feeding, the chicks are not afraid of people and willingly approach whoever enters the enclosure, as can be seen in Anat Gal's photograph, in the news item on the young birders' group.

The turtle pond is home to 47 red-eared sliders that arrived at the Garden in mid-June. The sliders will be subjected to a variety of studies in order to learn about the physiology and behavior of this invasive species. As can be seen in the photograph, the vegetation in the turtle pond, both in the water and on the banks, has acclimated well and provides a protective cover against mosquito development, as well as many shaded places.

Have you ever peeked into the ibex or hyrax yard and wondered about the tunnel openings in the ground? These yards are the new homes of some of our fat sand rats, which are enjoying the new space available to them. Many studies are carried out on the fat sand rat in the Zoological Garden, so we keep quite a few as a research reserve. Some of them are now sharing an enclosure with ibexes or hyraxes, in order to determine whether the semi-natural conditions are appropriate for them. Over time, some of the sand rats have cleverly learned to exit the ibex enclosure and to return later, probably through the small gap beneath the enclosure door. One of the females did even more: she left the enclosure and returned to the room in which she was born, near the staff dining room, where she settled in a cardboard box near the door!

A new shed for the boars: Thanks to a donation from a private donor, who thoughtfully seeks to improve animal welfare in the Garden, we have built a new shed for the wild boars. The shed will create a new area in their enclosure that will always be dry, even on rainy days.